re: Class of 2019 Recruiting MEGATHREAD: That's a Wrap Edition

And Duke gets applauded for using the same recruiting strategy that UK was derided for. Don't dislike either one but I've found that funny.

ETA: If you ever get the chance, go up to Springfield, MA and check out the Basketball Hall of Fame. If you hangout in the sports bar there the regulars have tons of stories about what the coaches and players are really like. Just be aware the only thing to really do in Springfield other than the HoF is drink.

I guess but my point is all of those McDs and all UK has to show is one NC under Calipari. Nowadays, it's common to see UK fans pine for a program that resembles more like Villanova, who balances one and ones with 3-4 year players.

“All they have to show is one NC”

I think they have 8 all-time and they’ve been playing hoops for like 100 years so they’re ahead of the curve with Calipari.

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Auburn is recruiting very well so far.

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AU does have a nice class, but if they don't flip Wanya Morris, could create some serious problems in the future. They struck out at OT last year and this year with a very average OT as their lone commit at the position, they could be headed for problems at a key position.

A-List No. 7: 'Crazy' position change worked for Alabama commit Christian Williams

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Kenny King hadn't been back in Daphne long when he ran into Christian Williams' grandmother at Wal-Mart.

Regina Williams wasn't particularly happy with the new Trojans' head coach, who had moved Christian - at the time a rising sophomore - from offense to defense during spring practice.

"She came up and said, 'I don't know why you moved my grandson,'" King said. "I just told her to hold on and be patient."

Two years later, not too many people are complaining.

The 6-foot-1 1/2, 185-pound Williams has blossomed into one of the state's top defensive backs, is committed to defending national champion Alabama and is expected to be Daphne's team leader in 2018.

He also ranks No. 7 on the 2018 A-List, AL.com's ranking of the state's top senior prospects.

"I kind of joke with the whole family when I see them now," King said. "'What do ya'll think? Offense or defense?' Fortunately, it's all worked out for the best."

King - a former defensive lineman at Daphne, Alabama and the NFL - took over the Trojans in March 2016. He and his staff made it a priority immediately to solidify the Daphne defense. That meant moving Williams.

"We could have kept Christian at wide receiver or quarterback, where he played when he was young, but with his speed, his hips, his quickness, we thought he was a natural cornerback," King said. "And, me being a defensive guy at heart, I knew I needed to have a good defense."

Williams wasn't 100 percent sold on the idea at first.

"I thought coach was crazy," he said. "I was like, 'He doesn't even know me for real.' I guess it turned out OK."

Indeed, it did.

Williams enjoyed a solid sophomore season, and college offers started to pour in the spring before his junior year. Michigan was first. What followed was a virtual who's who of top college programs -- Alabama, Arizona, Iowa, Auburn, LSU, Florida, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Oregon and many more.

Williams committed to the Crimson Tide in April 2018.

"He can be great there," King said. "He has to get stronger, but playing with that group in Tuscaloosa, he is going to learn. He'll know when to hit, how to do it, how fast to do it. He'll be coached up. It will boil down to if he can get his body in top shape, and Alabama has the facilities to do that. It's up to Christian to go up there with the mindset of, 'I'm good now. I want to be great.'"

So far, Williams has done everything his Daphne coaches have asked. He was a first-team AL.com Coastal Alabama All-Region selection as a junior, finishing with 27 tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery. Opponents didn't throw his way much.

"He's a phenomenal athlete," Daphne defensive coordinator Lane Reynolds said. "Christian is everything you look for as a player and, especially, a defensive back. He has length, speed, cover skills and great overall football knowledge."

Though Williams is now concentrating mainly on defense and projects as a cornerback in college, he will still play some offense and special teams for the Trojans this season. His coaches also have talked to him about increasing his leadership role on the team this year and say he has responded.

"We've discussed our desire for him to be more vocal on the back end of the defense," Reynolds said. "We need that, and he's done a great job so far. What is really neat is I've seen him on the sidelines when he is not in on a drill helping younger guys with their footwork and technique. He's becoming like another coach on the field."

Williams admitted being more outspoken has been a difficult transition for him.

"I've always tried to lead with my actions," he said. "I didn't want to open my mouth and have people think I was a hypocrite or something. But I've learned that some of the younger guys look up to me and, since I'm closer to their age, they sometimes may be able to relate to me more than the coaches. So, I'm trying to speak up more, while also leading with my actions."

The Daphne coaches describe Williams as humble and coachable even though he is already committed to an SEC school and is ranked among the state's elite prospects. Former B.C. Rain coach Tellis Stone took over the Daphne secondary this spring and has been impressed with Williams from the start.

"From the first day I got here, he was all ears," Stone said. "Sometimes kids in his position with big-time offers get complacent. He's not that guy. We sat down and talked when I got here.

"I just told him that I've been around a long time, that I wasn't going to be easy on him because where he is headed after high school they aren't going to be easy on him," Stone added. "But I told him just to remember it's all out of love and respect. He's responded just the way you would expect him to - like a champion. The guy is the total package."

Though he committed to Alabama this spring and has called it his "dream school," Williams said his recruitment is not "all the way closed." He said LSU and Florida are still recruiting him aggressively, and he has just started hearing from Florida State.

"I'm committed, but I still want to make sure it's the right choice for me," he said.

Williams said he plans to stay at Daphne for his full senior year and play basketball in the winter. Right now, though, it's all about football.

"There is still a lot for me to work on," he said. "There are a lot of things I don't know."

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Rivals.com 2019 Position Rankings update: Running Backs

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Rivals.com’s rankings week rolls on with a look at the pecking order at each position. Here we take a look at a running backs led by five-star Trey Sanders of Florida’s IMG Academy. Below are notes on the players and teams to watch at the position and a link to the full list of the nation’s top backs.

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Rivals.com 2019 Position Rankings update: Offensive Line

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TEAMS TO WATCH: ALABAMA, AUBURN, FLORIDA STATE, TENNESSEE, USC

Darnell Wright is the No. 1 offensive tackle in the country and he remains uncommitted. This could come down to an SEC battle between Alabama and Tennessee, but you can’t count Ohio State out either.

Clay Webb and Evan Neal are also high on Alabama, so the Crimson Tide could have a very exciting finish in 2019 if the chips fall right.

Auburn has Will Putnam, a four-star offensive guard out of Florida scheduled for an official visit Sept. 15 and the Tigers have been trending. Keep an eye on Florida State as well.

Other than Putnam, the Seminoles are very much involved with Deyavie Hammond, an in-state four-star target at IMG Academy.

USC has a need up front and the Trojans are in the thick of things with numerous top targets out west. Troy Fautanu, Sean Rhyan and Enokk Vimahi are three top keep an eye on in the coming months.

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Updated 2019 Composite Rankings

1. OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux
2. OLB Nolan Smith (UGA)
6. DT Ishmael Sopsher
7. RB Trey Sanders
9. OT Darnell Wright
12. S Daxton Hill
15. ILB Nakobe Dean
20. OL Clay Webb
21. ATH Quavaris Crouch
25. OT Evan Neal
32. CB Akeem Dent (FSU)
35. OT Pierce Quick (Alabama)
39. LB Henry To’oto’o
40. WR George Pickens (Auburn)
41. CB Tyrique Stevenson
42. DT Faatui Tuitele
48. OT Amari Kight (Alabama)
53. S Nick Cross
54. DL Antonio Alfano (Alabama)
56. DL DeMarvin Leal (Texas A&M)
58. OLB Khris Bogle
60. DE Nathan Pickering (MSU)
73. CB Christian Williams (Alabama)
75. ILB Shane Lee (Alabama)
94. OLB Kevin Harris (Alabama)
99. S DeMarcco Hellams (Alabama)
115. LB King Mwikuta (Alabama)
117. ATH Brandon Turnage (Alabama)
118. DE Byron Young (Alabama)
120. ATH Devonta Lee
125. DE Justin Eboigbe (Alabama)
128. DL Jaquaze Sorrells
129. WR Jameson Williams
135. ATH Christian Harris (Texas A&M)
144. LB Mohamoud Diabate
159. DT Siaki Ika
172. OLB Laiatu Latu
176. QB Taulia Tagovailoa (Alabama)
178. DB Isaiah Rutherford
196. ATH Milton Wright
229. RB Deondrick Glass
236. DT D.J. Dale (Alabama)
244. WR Cornelius Johnson
246. DE Stephon Wright
259. OT Tanner Bowles (Alabama)
281. S Jalani Williams
283. WR John Metchie (Alabama)
293. DB Noa Pola-Gates
297. TE Jahleel Billingsley (Alabama)
313. RB Wandale Robinson
324. QB Paul Tyson (Alabama)
328. OL Darrian Dalcourt (Alabama)
352. RB Keilan Robinson (Alabama)
354. DT Rashad Cheney (Alabama)
1,684. K Will Reichard (Alabama)

Yea I don't get it either. His size and athleticism alone should have him higher.

LINK ]WATCH: Tide commit Brandon Turnage returns to field (BOL | embedded video)

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Alabama commitment Brandon Turnage returned to the field on Friday evening for Oxford (Miss.) Lafayette after missing the majority of his junior season with a foot injury. The Commodores took down Cleveland Central in a 48-6 blowout.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Turnage projects as a safety in the Crimson Tide's scheme, but for Lafayette he does a little bit of everything, including playing wide receiver, quarterback and cornerback.

Turnage (wearing No. 1 in the highlight reel) is rated the No. 8 athlete and the No. 117 overall player in the country, per the 247Sports Composite Rankings. The Mississippi native committed to the Tide last December over several other programs including Georgia and Ole Miss.

Turnage suffered a foot injury in the first game of his 2017 season that forced him to miss the rest of the year. One of the major factors that went into his decision to commit to the Tide was Alabama's sports medicine program and their track record with rehabbing injuries, specifically the type of injury he suffered.

The 4-star athlete visited Tuscaloosa three times over the course of the summer and maintains that he's firmly committed in the class despite seemingly constant chatter that he will eventually reopen his recruitment considering he lives in Ole Miss' back yard.

In an interview done earlier this summer, Turnage told BamaOnLine that he felt better about his commitment to Alabama now than he did when he made his announcement right before Christmas last December.

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